An evaluation of AIDS education: a quasi-experimental exploration.

This study reports on a quasi-experimental study designed to evaluate the relationship between receiving classroom instruction and subsequent AIDS knowledge, behavior, and attitudes. Survey information was gathered from 61 students enrolled in an AIDS course and 68 students enrolled in "control" courses. Both groups were pretested at the beginning of the semester and again at the end of the semester concerning AIDS knowledge, behavior, and attitudes. The results obtained indicated that there was a widespread acceptance of the conventional wisdom concerning AIDS in both the experimental and control groups prior to the study. Few behavior changes were observed as a result of the AIDS curriculum. Three empirically distinct factors, "interaction," "constraint," and "testing," emerged from the attitude measures. Respondents were more accepting of interacting with persons with AIDS across time. Moreover, respondents in the experimental group were more reticent to advocate mandatory AIDS testing vis-à-vis those in the control group across time.